Chicago, IL

Living up to their billing, No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Alabama will clash for the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) national championship on January 7.

"These two storied programs, this year's undisputed top two teams, will square off in a must-see event," BCS executive director Bill Hancock said.

The Fighting Irish booked a spot in the BCS national championship by finishing the season undefeated, capping their perfect campaign with a victory over rival Southern California.

Alabama followed suit with a 32-28 victory over Georgia in the Southeastern Conference title game.

Hancock also announced "intriguing and exciting" full slate of BCS games, including the showdown between Stanford and Wisconsin for the Rose Bowl on January 1 at Pasadena, California.

Florida State will clash with Northern Illinois for the Orange Bowl also on New Year's Day at Miami Florida.

Northern Illinois earned a spot in the Orange Bowl with a win over Kent State in the MAC Championship while Florida State advanced after beating Georgia Tech in the ACC championship showdown.

Florida, ranked third in the BCS standings, will be the heavy favorite when it takes on Louisville in the Sugar Bowl on January 2.

In the Fiesta Bowl, Big 12 Champion Kansas State will take on Oregon and its high-octane offense on January at Glendale, Arizona.

Oklahoma and Texas A&M will clash in the Cotton Bowl on January 4 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

All in all, 35 bowl games will be played in the next few weeks leading to the national championship showdown.

"We have a tremendous lineup of other bowls to once again cap off the best regular season in sports," Hancock added.

 

BCS Bowls: First Look

 

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